Strategies needed to cope with big dry

 These events are unpredictable and vary in their timing, severity and duration.

The impact of these events on milksolids production and farm profit can be minimised by the early implementation of proven strategies, it says.

The key is to have a plan and to make timely decisions based on the best available information.

Having no plan coupled with indecision, leads to unnecessary stress and lower profit. Whatever the summer conditions, the first management rule is to fully and efficiently use spring pasture before dry and hot conditions reduce the growth and quality of pasture.

Successful summer management depends on planning, monitoring and taking action.

In recent years significant dry periods have been a feature of summer farming in many regions. 

Farmers in areas prone to dry conditions should aim have a well thought through contingency plan for the summer dry. 

Every farm should have a summer management plan. This is a must, setting out key decision points concerning stock and feed management and the dates when critical actions should occur. 

Regular monitoring of both the farm and wider situation is important, as it allows you to evaluate the options available for stock and feed management, based on the most accurate information. A weekly farm walk and keeping up to date with industry online information and the news will help achieve this.

Sensible management of Body Condition Score (BCS) is crucial to the protection of next season’s production. Mixed aged cows need to be at BCS 5.0 by next calving, first and second calvers at BCS 5.5, so pulling condition off them now for the sake of continued production makes no sense. It will cost you far more to put it back on later.

Monitor the BCS of your cows and heifers regularly (every 3-4 weeks), even if away grazing during summer dry periods.

Management options include:

• Getting all known culls off the farm as soon as possible 
• Don’t carry cull cows for the sake of it.  If sending them to slaughter, remember that they must be fit for transport and able to bear weight on all four limbs.
• Dry mature animals off, based on BCS and somatic cell count (SCC). As a safeguard, have a final dry-off date and stick to it. Drying off low producers and young stock early, when they are in good condition also makes good sense, as it will reduce the pressure on the available resources.
• Milking low BCS cows once-a-day in early autumn.

Consider once-a-day milking

Alternative milking patterns, such as once-a-day (OAD) can help take the pressure off both staff and cows and are an attractive option.

Switching to OAD means paying close attention to mastitis detection and management, as SCC can rise to double that of cows milked twice-a-day and some cows may develop clinical mastitis

Be very careful if your bulk SCC is over 200,000 before switching to OAD, as you run the risk of grading. At the very least, your bulk tank needs to be able to accommodate a short term (3-4 day) doubling in SCC. Consult the SAMM plan

For those with problematic cell counts, milking ‘three times in two days’ is an option that can be used in extending rotation length and rationing feed. However, awkward milking times may outweigh the advantages for you

Use supplements wisely

• Feeding supplements keeps animals in production longer than would otherwise be possible in a dry summer.
• First and foremost, earmark 10-14 days of supplement for the period after rain (about 100kg DM/cow). There will be a lot of pasture decay at this time and you will need something to keep your cows going, allowing pasture to recover.
• Remember to include your winter supplement requirements in your planning as well.
• Supplements can increase stock water intakes, so systems must be in place to cope with the increased demand. Consider providing water in the yards to reduce the demand on troughs in the paddock after milking.
• Offer pasture silage to stock first, as it will have more protein than maize silage. Avoid using autumn/winter supplements if possible. Use them only as a last resort after drying off the entire herd.
• If grazing turnips, make sure you give enough of them to meet cow energy demands and that all animals can feed at once.

Bought in supplements such as palm kernel extract/tapioca mixes and maize silage are an option.  Seek professional advice before using unfamiliar feed mixes on your stock.

Supplements can be profitable providing you apply best practice management and purchase the supplement at the price.

Only purchase and feed out supplements if you have:

• Residuals below 7 clicks or less on the rising plate meter (under 1500 kgDM/ha using the winter formula).
• Determined the maximum supplement price you can afford to pay and still make a profit.
• The ability to avoid feed losses and wastage when storing and feeding out the supplement.

The immediate milk response is unlikely to fully cover the cost, but if feeding results in maintaining more cows in milk when it does rain the returns can be significant.

Use the milk price $/kg MS to determine the value proposition of buying feed to feed lactating cows.

The rule of thumb is - if the feed cost landed on the farm, cents/kg DM exceeds 5% of the milk price then question the likely profitability of purchasing the feed for sustaining milk production.

Look after irrigated grass

If you are irrigating, monitor soil moisture levels regularly. Consider signing up to NIWA’s Climate Explorer (www.niwa.co.nz) to help with your planning.

Have a contingency plan for when water restrictions are applied. One option is to fully water the best part of your farm, rather than watering the whole farm poorly.

Irrigated crops can provide a high return.

There are a few paddocks of deferred grazing still around. Graze these now, as both quality and quantity of feed will drop fast.

Have a plan to avoid overgrazing (grazing to less than 3.5 cam height).